Adjustable gate structure

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to flexible fence and gate systems, which are flexible to alterations, have common parts, are easy to assembly, durable, and have long service life. The frame can be made of pre-coated galvanized steel parts. The panel is held in a U-shaped slotted rectangular fence frame formed by a parallel pair of L-shaped retainer angles mounted back-to-back or face-to-face on the stringers to accommodate a wide choice of panel styles, materials and thicknesses without adding any new components. Another feature provides a panel insert which can be sandwiched between two panels to further suppress noise. Another feature relates to adjustable post angle adapters. Another feature relates to a gate width opening adjustment member using a sliding rail at the far end. A gate post threaded insert can be also used at the gate hinges to distribute the load of the gate across the gate hinge hardware.

BACKGROUND

[0001] The present invention relates to configurable fence and gatesystems.

[0002] Man has employed many types of fences having differentcharacteristics to indicate property lines, ensure privacy, segregateactivities, and provide barriers for property, people and animals. Forexample, fences made of stones, bricks, and concrete have long servicelife, but are difficult to alter after construction. Wood fences havelow initial cost, are flexible to alter, but have shorter life whenexposed to severe climate or pest infestation. Metal fences havinginsertable panels are durable, pest resistant and have good servicelife, but have other problems. For example, the manufacturing tolerancesnecessary to assemble the metal fences make them vulnerable to vibrationand noise generation in wind. One metal fence has lateral stiffeners tohold corrugated sheet metal panels, but the stiffener is a fixed widthwhich limits its application to one width of corrugated sheet metalpanel. Another metal fence uses a molded polyvinyl chloride (PVC)interlocking sleeve to hold the fence panels. The interlock sleeve is afixed width, however, which again restricts flexibility in panels thatcan be used. In addition, sun exposure degrades the molded PVCinterlocking sleeve over time destroying the integrity of the fence.

[0003] Fences also fail to address certain problems. For exampleproperty boundaries are often polygons, that is, closed figures made upof line segments. Two adjacent line segments often form anon-perpendicular angle. Thus, fence sections join at non-perpendicularangles yet need freedom to adjust the angle during construction whilemaintaining connection strength. Separately, gate widths are oftenoversized to make sure the gate fits, then a lip or shim added to thegate to cover the gap. This lip/shim technique is labor intensive andaffects the appearance of the gate. Another problem concerns theattachment of the gate to the fence post. Gates are cantileverstructures which stress the gate hinges. The wider or heavier the gate,the more load the hinge must support. The load can fatigue or deform thehinge causing the gate to sag, the hinge hardware to loosen, and evencause damage to the gate frame or gate post. In some cases, if thisdamages the gate frame or gate post too much, the gate hinges will needto be relocated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present invention relates to a fence and gate system. In anembodiment, the system includes a pair of fence posts connected by twofence stringers forming a fence framework. The system also includes apair of L-shaped retainer angles, which are parallel to each other,attached adjacent the fence framework, and define the thickness of thepanel to be inserted. The retainer angles are mounted on the surface ofthe framework either face-to-face or back-to-back forming a slottedframe. At least one fence panel is inserted into the slotted frame.Thus, the invention describes a fence and gate system capable ofaccommodating a variety of panel styles, materials and thicknesses.

[0005] In other features, the system provides for an insert sandwichedbetween the panels, an adjustable post angle adapter for joining fencesections, a gate width opening adjuster, and a threaded insert boltstructure that distributes stress in a gate hinge and gate post, but isnot strictly limited, to the fence and gate system.

[0006] In various embodiments, the fence and gate system is moderate incost, easy to install, reconfigure, maintain and repair, and is strong,durable, able to withstand severe climate conditions, pest resistant,and attractive in appearance. In an embodiment, the fence and gatesystem is made of preformed and pre-coated galvanized steel sheet metalpanels, steel structures and extrusions tubing which is readilyavailable, strong, rigid, corrosion resistant, durable, flexible instyle, easy to install and reconfigure, and have long service life.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007]FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the fence and gate system.

[0008]FIG. 2A illustrates an embodiment of the finished fence and gatesystem.

[0009]FIG. 2B is an exploded view of fence and gate system shown in FIG.2A.

[0010]FIG. 3A is a top view of a fence post shown in FIG. 2A showingface-to-face mounting of a pair of L-shaped side retainer angles to thefence post holding the fence panel.

[0011]FIG. 3B is a front view of the fence post shown in FIG. 3A.

[0012]FIG. 3C is an exploded view of the fence post shown in FIG. 3A.

[0013]FIG. 3D is a top view of the fence post showing back-to-backmounting of a pair of L-shaped side retainer angles to the fence postholding the fence panel.

[0014]FIG. 3E is an exploded view of the fence post shown in FIG. 3D.

[0015]FIG. 4A is a top view showing two fence panels sandwiching a panelinsert held in place by a pair of L-shaped side retainer angles.

[0016]FIG. 4B is a front view of one fence panel shown in FIG. 4A.

[0017]FIG. 4C is an enlarged top view of the fence panels held in placeby a pair of L-shaped side retainer angles partially shown in FIG. 4B.

[0018]FIG. 5A illustrates a fence and gate system configured to usefence boards.

[0019]FIG. 5B is a top view of the fence and gate system shown in FIG.5A.

[0020]FIG. 5C is a sectional side view of the fence and gate systemshown in FIG. 5A.

[0021]FIG. 6A illustrates the frame of the fence and gate system shownin FIG. 5A.

[0022]FIG. 6B shows the top view of the frame shown in FIG. 6A.

[0023]FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of the fence post with stringers shownin FIG. 6A.

[0024]FIG. 7B is a top view of the fence post with stringers shown inFIG. 7A.

[0025]FIG. 8A illustrates post angle adapters as used in the fence andgate system.

[0026]FIG. 8B shows the top view of post angle adapters shown in FIG.8A.

[0027]FIG. 9A is an enlarged front view of the post angle adapter toconnect a gate frame to a section of the fence frame also shown in FIG.8A.

[0028]FIG. 9B is an exploded top view of the post angle adapter shown inFIG. 9A.

[0029]FIG. 10A is a detailed front view showing another post angleadapter for connecting fence sections also shown in FIG. 8A.

[0030]FIG. 10B is a detailed exploded assembly top view of FIG. 10A.

[0031]FIG. 11A is a detailed front view showing part of the gate frameattached to the fence post through a gate hinge also shown in FIG. 8A.

[0032]FIG. 11B is a top section view of FIG. 11A showing the use of gatepost threaded insert assemblies holding the gate hinge in place.

[0033]FIG. 11C is a detailed view of FIG. 11B showing the design of thegate post threaded insert.

[0034]FIG. 12A is a front view of a gate frame and a gate width openingadjuster assembly in another embodiment, wherein the gate hinges are onthe left side.

[0035]FIG. 12B is a section view of one end of a gate frame in FIG. 12Ashowing a welded on surround metal back flange.

[0036]FIG. 12C is a full section view of FIG. 12A.

[0037]FIG. 12D is an exploded assembly view of FIG. 12C showing the gatehinge and the attachment of the gate width opening adjuster to theopposite end.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0038] The following description includes the best mode of carrying outthe invention. The detailed description is made for the purpose ofillustrating the general principles of the invention and should not betaken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is best determinedby reference to the claims. Each part, even if structurally identical toother parts, is assigned its own part number to help distinguish wherethe part appears in the drawings.

[0039]FIG. 1 illustrates the fence and gate system. As shown in FIG. 1,the fence and gate system includes at least one fence section 17connected to at least one gate assembly 12. The embodiment can beconfigured to different fence framework styles as well as gate styles tofulfill the requirements and needs according to the user's imagination.This flexibility in configuration will be illustrated with examples asother embodiments of the present invention later.

[0040]FIG. 2A shows the finished fence and gate system in an embodimentincluding the parts that comprises it. FIG. 2B is an exploded view ofthe assembled fence and gate system shown in FIG. 2A. FIGS. 2A-2B showsthe parts of the fence and gate system. Each fence section 17 includestwo fence posts 26, 27, which in one embodiment are constructed ofindustry standard thickness precoated galvanized steel tubing ofpredetermined length. Each end of the fence section 17 is anchored tothe foundation or soil 34 by fence posts 26, 27. Placed on top of eachfence posts 26, 27 is a post cap, such as post cap 24 on fence post 26.It can be a variety of styles such as an ornamental post cap to keep outrain or ornamental lamp (not shown). A fence stringer 22, which in oneembodiment is constructed of industry standard thickness galvanizedsteel tubing of predetermined length, is placed at the bottom withspecified clearance from the soil, and connects the two fence posts 26,27. Each end of the fence stringer 22 is firmly attached to the fenceposts 26, 27 using a pair of stringer hangers 13, 19 and a plurality ofself drilling and self tapping screws identical to the screw 42 shown inFIG. 3A.

[0041] A pair of cross section L-shaped retainer angles, the frontL-shaped retainer angle 20 being shown, which in one embodiment areconstructed of industry standard thickness precoated galvanized steelsheet metal extrusion of predetermined length, are fastened parallel andface-to-face to the fence stringer 22 using a plurality of self drillingand self tapping screws such as the screw 42 forming a cross sectionU-shaped slot along the length of the fence stringer 22.

[0042] A pair of cross section L-shaped side retainer angles 30, 31,which in one embodiment are constructed of industry standard thicknessprecoated galvanized steel sheet metal extrusion of predeterminedlength, are fastened parallel and face-to-face to the interior side ofeach fence post 26, 27 using a plurality of self drilling and selftapping screws identical to the screw 42 forming a cross sectionU-shaped slot along the length of the interior side of the fence posts26, 27.

[0043] A cross section U-shaped three-sided slotted fence framework isthus formed to insert and to hold the fence panels 28, 33 and thelattice fence panel 18 in place. The fence panels 28, 33 are constructedof but not limited to corrugated precoated galvanized steel sheet metalof predetermined length, wood, plastic, fiber glass or compositematerial, and the lattice fence panel 18 is constructed of but notlimited to wood, steel sheet metal or other materials, are inserted intothe slotted structure sequentially. The design of the individual panelssuch lattice or corrugated etc. is not considered to be essential to thepresent invention and is simply a matter of preference.

[0044] A pair of cross section L-shaped retainer angles, the frontL-shaped retainer angle 21 being shown, is fastened parallel andface-to-face to a fence stringer 23 using a plurality of self drillingand self tapping screws identical to the screw 42 forming a crosssection U-shaped slot along the full length of the fence stringer 23.The lattice fence panel 18 is capped under compression by the slottedtop fence stringer assembly. The fence stringer 23 is firmly attached onboth ends to the fence posts 26, 27 using a pair of stringer hangers 15,16 on each side, and a plurality of self drilling and self tappingscrews identical to the screw 42. If necessary, additional self drillingand self tapping screws can be used to hold the panels in place.

[0045] In another embodiment, the L-shaped retainer angles 20, 21 andthe L-shaped side retainer angles 30, 31 can be fastened parallel andback-to-back on the fence stringers 22, 23 and fence posts 26, 27 toform a cross section U-shaped three-sided slotted fence framework insimilar manner to that shown in FIGS. 3D and 3E.

[0046] The gate assembly 12 is in one embodiment constructed of Industrystandard thickness galvanized steel tubing and sheet metal strips ofpredetermined length. The rectangular structure is welded together witha surround back metal flange 82 (FIG. 11B) to form a gate frame 38 withresemblance to a picture frame. A plurality of gate hinges such as gatehinge 14 is welded onto the gate frame 38. The gate panel 40 constructedof material not limiting to corrugated precoated steel sheet metal orwood and the lattice gate panel 36 constructed of not limiting to wood,steel sheet metal or other material, are fastened onto the gate frame 38using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical toscrew 42 to form the gate assembly 12. The gate assembly 12 is firmlyattached to the fence post 27 through a plurality of gate hingesidentical to gate hinge 14, using a combination of a plurality ofhardware to be described in detail in FIGS. 11A, 11B and 11C. A gatewidth opening adjuster 10 is attached to the gate frame 38 using aplurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to screw42. Those who are skilled in arts will realize that the panel andlattice material used in the preferred embodiment is not limited toprecoated sheet metal, wood, plastic, composite material, fiber glassand therefore is not restrictive in interpretation.

[0047]FIG. 3A is a detailed top section view of the fence post in anembodiment. A pair of cross section L-shaped side retainer angles 25,30, which in one embodiment are constructed of industry standardthickness precoated galvanized steel sheet metal extrusion ofpredetermined length, are fastened parallel and face-to-face to theinterior vertical side of each fence post using a plurality of selfdrilling and self tapping screws identical to the screw 42 forming across section U-shaped slot along the interior side of the fence posts26. A fence panel 28 of certain thickness that determines the spacing ofthe cross section L-shaped side retainer angles 25, 30 is held tightlyin the cross section U-shaped slot formed.

[0048]FIG. 3B is a front view of FIG. 3A showing the fence panel 28being held in place by a pair of cross section L-shaped side retainerangles, the front angle 30 being shown. FIG. 3C is an exploded assemblyview of the fence post shown in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3D is a detailed topsection view of the fence post in another embodiment. A pair of crosssection L-shaped side retainer angles 25, 30, which in one embodimentare constructed of industry standard thickness precoated galvanizedsteel sheet metal extrusion of predetermined length, are fastenedparallel and back-to-back to the interior vertical side of the fencepost 26 using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screwsidentical to screw 42 forming a cross section U-shaped slot along theinterior side of the fence post 26. A fence panel 29 has a certainthickness that determines the spacing between the cross section L-shapedside retainer angles 25, 30 is held tightly in the cross sectionU-shaped slot formed. FIG. 3E is an exploded assembly view FIG. 3Dshowing the parts that comprise the structure.

[0049] The U-shaped slot formed in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3A and3D has the flexibility to accept fence panels 28, 29 of differentthicknesses by adjusting slot width or mounting orientations without theneed to change the types of fence parts.

[0050]FIG. 4A shows the top view of panel in another embodiment with apanel sandwiching configuration. FIG. 4B is a front view of FIG. 4A withsandwiching panel configuration held in place by a pair of retainerangles 20, 47 (FIG. 4C) on each side. FIG. 4C is a detailed view of FIG.4A. The panels 43, 45 are held tightly in place by a pair of retainerangles 20, 47. The fence panels 43, 45 are constructed of a wide rangeof material and are not limited to such as precoated corrugated sheetmetal, wood, plastic, fiber glass or any composite material. The panelinsert 44 is constructed of a wide range of material and not limited tosuch as fiber board, plastic, composite or foam. The panel insert 44functions as spacer to fill slack under compression from the retainerangles 20, 47 on each side. If the panel insert 44 material has acousticproperty, it also functions as a noise suppression layer to dampen panelresonance, vibration or echoes under wind load and traffic noise. Theextent of sandwiched area may vary from a full fence width to a portionof the fence width.

[0051]FIG. 5A illustrates an embodiment using substantially identicalparts that can be configured to accept traditional fence boards 48 andgate boards 46. In various embodiments, the parts could be made of wood,metal, or a combination thereof. The parts will be now described asprimarily of wood. FIG. 5B shows the top view of the fence and gateshown in FIG. 5A. A plurality of stringer angle hanger identical to theangle hangar 51 and a wood horizontal gate stringer 50 are used in thisconfiguration. FIG. 5C shows the sectional side view of FIG. 5A. Thefence stringers 22, 23 are rotated 90 degree from what was described inthe earlier embodiment, and mounted on the top and the bottom across thefence posts 26, 27 with a plurality of stringer angle hangers identicalto the stringer angle hangar 51. Wood horizontal fence stringers 54, 55are attached to the fence stringers 22, 23 through a plurality ofstringer angle hangers 52, 53 and wood screws. Wood fence boards 48 areattached onto the horizontal fence stringers 54, 55 by a plurality ofwood screws.

[0052]FIG. 6A illustrates the frame of fence and gate system shown inFIG. 5A. It can be made of wood, metal or a combination thereof. Thus,wood horizontal fence stringers 54, 55 are attached to the fencestringers 22, 23 through a plurality of stringer angle hangers includingthe stringer hangers 52, 53 and wood screws forming a hybrid metal andwood member framework across the full fence width on the top and thebottom. Wood fence boards 48 are to be attached to the hybrid frameworkby a plurality of wood screws forming a traditional wood fence. A woodhorizontal gate stringer 50 is attached to the top of the gate frame 66by a plurality of machine screw/bolts 58, flat washers 64, nut and flatwasher assemblies 62. The wood horizontal gate stringer 50 length can besized accordingly to provide a good fit to the gate width openingfunctioning and a gate width opening adjuster. The style of the gateframe 66 is not limiting to this embodiment that has a cross bracewelded diagonally to increase support of the wood gate boards 46.

[0053]FIG. 6B is the top view of the system shown in FIG. 6A showing thehybrid metal wood framework in this embodiment. The gate frame 66 isattached to the fence post by a gate hinge 14 and a combination of gatepost threaded inserts 32 and bolt and flat washer assembly 72.

[0054]FIG. 7A is a detailed view 60 of the fence post 26 shown in FIG.6A, which is connected differently to the stringers 23, 69. In thisembodiment, the fence stringer 23 is rotated 90 degrees. The twostringer angle hangers 51, 56, one on the top end and the other in thebottom end of the fence stringer 23 are mounted to the fence post 26using a plurality of self drilling and self tapping including the screws67, 49.

[0055]FIG. 7B is a top view of FIG. 7A showing the configurations offence stringers 23, 69 mounted to the fence post 26. The fence stringer69 is mounted without rotation to the fence post 26 using a pair ofstringer hangers 16, 59 one on each side and a plurality of selfdrilling and self tapping screws identical to the numbered screws 57,73.

[0056]FIG. 8A illustrates the use of post angle adapters 70, 76 of thefence and gate system. The gate is connected to another section of thefence using a post angle adapter 70 that has an acute angle of about 20degrees. The fence is connected to another section of the fence throughanother post angle adapter 76 that has an acute angle of about 45degrees. One of ordinary skill would understand that these illustratedangles are not essential to the invention. The details of gate hinge 74will be discussed later.

[0057]FIG. 8B shows the top view of FIG. 8A showing the post angleadapters 70, 76. Both the post angle adapters 70 and 76, which in oneembodiment are constructed of standard industry thickness preformed andprecoated steel sheet metal parts, can be formed in a range of angleincrements to connect adjacent sections of the fence structure.

[0058]FIG. 9A is a detail front view of FIG. 8A showing a gate frame 66connected to another section of the fence on a fence post 27 using apost angle adapter 70. The post angle adapter 70 is attached firmly tothe gate post 27 on both sides using a plurality of self drilling andself tapping screws identical to the numbered screw 65.

[0059]FIG. 9B is a detail top view of portion 80 shown in FIGS. 8B and9A. In this illustration, a gate frame 66 is connected to anothersection of the fence on a fence post 27 using a post angle adapter 70and a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical toscrew 63. The fence stringers 71, 75 are connected to the post angleadapters 70 with a pair of stringer hanger 61, 73 on each side and aplurality of self drilling and self tapping screws identical to screws63, 89. In this illustration, an angle of 20 +/−10 degree can beachieved by flexing the post angle adapter 70 from its mounted positionon the fence post 27. It is also shown that the stringer hanger 61 onone side of the fence stringer 71 is being flexed slightly. This minorflexing is tolerated by the steel sheet metal material construction.

[0060]FIG. 10A is a detailed front view showing using another post angleadapter 76 to connect two fence sections together in FIG. 8A. The postangle adapter 76 is attached firmly to the gate post 26 on both sidesusing a plurality of self drilling and self tapping screws 81, 83. FIG.10B is a detailed top view of portion 78 shown in FIGS. 8B and 10A. Inthis illustration, two fence sections are connected on a fence post 26using a 45 +/−10 degree post angle adapter 76 and a plurality of selfdrilling and self tapping identical to the screws 81, 91. It is alsoshown that there is no flexing on the stringer hanger 90, 92 on eitherside of the fence stringer 77 using this post angle adapter 76.

[0061]FIG. 11A is a detailed front view of portion 74 shown in FIG. 8B.This shows the portion of the gate frame 66 attached to the fence post27 through a gate hinge 14 in FIG. 8A.

[0062]FIG. 11B is a section view of FIG. 11A showing the use of a gatepost threaded insert 32 with a gasket 82 swaged tightly with thematching bolt and flat washer assemblies 72 across both sides of thefence post 27 holding the gate hinge 14 in place. Also shown is gateframe 66 connected to the gate hinge 14.

[0063]FIG. 11C is a detail view of FIG. 11B showing the design of thegate post threaded insert 32. The gate post threaded insert 32 in anembodiment is machined from a solid hard metal or alloy such as steel.One end forms the head with a pattern that can be held in place ordriven with a tool. The head pattern is not limiting in its currenthexagonal design. A nut driver or other tools can be fitted over thehead to hold the gate post threaded insert 32 in position or to rotatefor tightening. The body of the gate post threaded insert 32 is smooth.The tail end is blind drilled and tapped to a specified depth. Thethread size of the gate post threaded insert 32 will be industrystandard. It is threaded to mate with common and available bolthardware. It should be pointed out that the outer body of this preferredembodiment structure can be machined to a lower diameter forming a minordiameter at the tail end for hole clearance to the steel fence post 27when under tight compression.

[0064] In the preferred embodiment, the gate post threaded insert 32 isused together with a combination of the gasket 82 for a moisture sealand a bolt and flat washer assembly 72 to achieve tight compression onboth surfaces of a hollow steel fence post 27. Along with the benefitsof other anticipated applications, one of the purposes of this gate postthreaded insert 32 is to distribute suspended load stress across theentire hardware assembly. This improves the strength of the hardwareholding the gate hinge 14. It is understood that the post threadedinsert 32 is suitable for a variety of application beside itsillustrated use in the fence and gate systems.

[0065]FIG. 12A is a front view of a gate frame 39 and a gate widthopening adjuster 10 in another embodiment, wherein the gate hinges,e.g., gate hinge 14 are on the left side. FIG. 12B is a section of oneend of the gate frame shown in FIG. 12A showing a weld 84 between thegate frame 39 to the surround metal back flange 86.

[0066]FIG. 12C is a full section view of FIG. 12A. The gate widthopening adjuster 10 in one embodiment is constructed of Industrystandard thickness galvanized steel metal extrusion or formed from sheetmetal. The top end of the gate width opening adjuster 10 is welded closeto keep rain out while the other end is open for venting. The gate hinge14 is welded to the gate frame 39.

[0067]FIG. 12D is a detailed exploded assembly view of FIG. 12C showingthe gate hinge plate 14 welded to the gate frame 39 to one end and theattachment of the gate width opening adjuster 10 to the opposite end.The width adjustment is achieved by attaching the gate width openingadjuster 10 at the opposite end of the gate frame 39 by sliding back andforth to determine the position using a plurality of self drilling andself tapping screws identical to screw 87. The gate panel 88 is screweddown to the surround metal back flange 86 using a plurality of selfdrilling and self tapping screws identical to screw 93. This gate widthopening adjustment method eliminates the use of a gate shim or lip.

What is claimed:
 1. A configurable fence system, comprising: a pair offence posts , connected by two parallel horizontal fence stringersforming a rectangular fence framework; a pair of longitudinal crosssection L-shaped retainer angles, with a parallel separation to bedefined by the thickness of the panel to be inserted, mounted on each ofthe inner surface of the rectangular fence framework in an orientationof either face-to-face or back-to-back to form an enclosed slottedrectangular fence framework; and at least one fence panel is insertedinto the enclosed slotted rectangular fence framework to form a sectionof the fence.
 2. The configurable fence system of claim 1, wherein eachcomponent of the slotted rectangular fence framework is formed of sheetmetal of predetermined length pre-coated on both sides.
 3. Theconfigurable fence system of claim 1, wherein the at least one fencepanel includes a lattice fence panel.
 4. The configurable fence systemof claim 1, wherein fence styles and panel material used can be changedor modified after assembly, but the slotted rectangular fence frameworkremains fixed.
 5. The configurable fence system of claim 1, wherein theenclosed slot width of the rectangular framework can be adjusted toallow insertion of different panel thicknesses without changingrectangular fence framework.
 6. The configurable fence system of claim1, further comprising a post angle adapter, wherein the fence sectionscan be connected at a non-perpendicular angle by connecting to the postangle adapter.
 7. The configurable fence system of claim 1, wherein thefence panel comprises fence panels sandwiching a middle panel inserteither partially or entirely under compression to suppress noise.
 8. Theconfigurable fence system of claim 1, wherein at least one adjustablegate structure is used as an access opening.
 9. The configurable fencesystem of claim 1, wherein the adjustable gate structure is attached tothe fence section at the fence post using a plurality of gate hinges, aplurality of screws and a plurality of gate post threaded inserts. 10.The configurable fence system of claim 1, wherein the rectangular fenceframework further includes: a metal flange welded to the fenceframework; a plurality of gate hinges welded onto the rectangular gateframe; at least one gate panel is inserted onto the rectangular gateframe; a plurality of gate post threaded inserts and hardware to helpdistribute suspended load stress are used to attach the gate frame tothe post member; and a gate width opening adjuster is attached to thefar end of the gate that allows gate width adjustment.
 11. An adjustablegate structure, comprising: a rectangular gate frame with a metal flangewelded on; a plurality of gate hinges welded onto the rectangular gateframe; at least one gate panel is inserted onto the rectangular gateframe; a plurality of gate post threaded inserts and hardware to helpdistribute suspended load stress are used to attach the gate frame tothe post member; and a gate width opening adjuster is attached to thefar end of the gate that allows gate width adjustment without adding alip or a shim to the gate.
 12. The adjustable gate structure of claim11, wherein each component of the rectangular gate frame is formed ofsheet metal of predetermined length precoated on both sides.
 13. Theadjustable gate structure of claim 11, wherein a plurality of gatepanels inserted can include a lattice gate panel.
 14. The adjustablegate structure of claim 11, wherein gate styles, gate panel material andthicknesses can be changed or modified but the gate framework partsremain substantially identical.
 15. A gate post threaded insert,comprising: solid metal construction; a head on one end with sufficientoverlap surface area after insertion and sufficiently strong enough tobe held in position by a tool; a smooth cylindrical body; and blinddrilled on the tail end and internally threaded to mate with standardmachine screws.
 16. The gate post threaded insert of claim 15, whereinthe threaded end can be modified with a smaller diameter to allowinsertion clearance to a hole opening.
 17. The gate post threaded insertof claim 15, wherein if the pair is swaged tightly, and a clampcompression is formed between the overlapped surfaces of the gate postthreaded insert head to the surface it is resting on and the matinghardware on the tail end on which it is resting on.